Audio 4:16
Australian journalist held in Egyptian prison without charge in solitary confinement for three weeks

Nance HaxtonUpdated
Tue 21 Jan 2014, 12:59 PM AEDT

The parents of Australian journalist Peter Greste have today made an impassioned plea for Egyptian authorities to release their son from Cairo's infamous high-security Tora Prison. Lois and Juris Greste say a lack of progress by Egyptian authorities has forced them to speak out. The Brisbane raised award winning journalist was arrested on December the 29th along with two Al Jazeera colleagues on suspicion of illegally broadcasting news harming 'domestic security'. Egyptian authorities are yet to lay charges.

Transcript

BRENDAN TREMBATH: The parents of Australian journalist Peter Greste, imprisoned in Egypt, have made an impassioned plea for his release.

It's been 23 days since he was arrested in Cairo, accused of having unlicensed equipment and broadcasting false news that harmed national security.

Lois and Juris Greste are frustrated by how long it's taken Egyptian authorities to assess his case.

They spoke to Nance Haxton in Brisbane.

LOIS GRESTE: He's been in solitary confinement for the first 15 days and he still is in solitary confinement, but he's allowed out now for four hours a day to do exercise and mix with other inmates.

NANCE HAXTON: Are they pretty basic conditions? This is quite a notorious prison of course in Egypt.

JURIS GRESTE: Well we do believe that he has the basic minimum comforts but yes I made the mistake of Googling a little bit about Tura Prison, which I shouldn't have done because it gave me nightmares.

LOIS GRESTE: He's got a toilet I understand as well as a wash basin.

NANCE HAXTON: What about the progress of his case? Has there been any clarification on the allegations he's facing?

JURIS GRESTE: Well that's one of the harrowing things. Without exaggerating, certainly from our position here and our point of view, we are staring into a bit of a black hole. We have requested a number of times for some kind of prognosis from the legal people down there and really it's all kind of perceptions and conjectures because at the moment we really don't know where it will head and I'm frightened to say how long it will be.

NANCE HAXTON: There are still no charges laid.

LOIS GRESTE: Absolutely there is no charges laid. All of the allegations are quite ludicrous really because we know that Peter, he's a veteran journalist, foreign correspondent, who goes in and out of countries consistently. He was only doing his job.

NANCE HAXTON: There is some sort of hearing you believe on the 23rd?

LOIS GRESTE: Yes, we don't quite know what will occur there. It might be an extension of his detention or it could be anything. We really don't know.

NANCE HAXTON: And it may not happen from your understanding either?

LOIS GRESTE: And it may not happen. Peter has had his questioning finished but the other two are still being questioned as far as we know. And sometimes we understand that when they're called in for questioning it actually doesn't happen.

NANCE HAXTON: Have the Australian authorities, the Australian Government, been helpful?

JURIS GRESTE: Very helpful indeed. We have no misgivings at all about the fact that the Australian Government is doing everything possible and in Peter's best interest.

LOIS GRESTE: We've had a call from Julie Bishop that lasted for about 20 minutes. I would like to add that the other thing that both Juris and myself and the family are extremely grateful for is that the journalists here in Australia have signed a petition and we believe it is over 830 now and still increasing.

And the journalists in London, Al Jazeera English, are holding a press conference there and there is movement along the similar lines there.

In Cairo a week or so ago, 33 of the journalists who were in Cairo at the time for the referendum all got together and signed a petition and took it to the Egyptian authorities.